Certification

Certification according to ITIL 4 has been restructured. Not only is Axelos the central player in all certification projects, it has centrally marketed ITIL 4 training courses since 2014. According to ITIL 4, only individuals, not organizations, can be certified. The company also accredits and certifies accredited training organizations (ATOs), of which there are a number in each country [2]. Certification exams are usually taken at these ATOs, and they must be accredited with examining institutions, which also issue the certificates for the participants of the ITIL 4 certification courses at the ATOs. The examining institutions must also obtain accreditation from Axelos.

The certification scheme for ITIL 4 has changed compared with version 3. ITIL 3 had four consecutive stages: Foundation, Intermediate (advanced), Expert, and Master. The latter presupposes practical experience in service management and an Expert certificate, which is based on the two-day basic ITIL Foundation course plus five special courses divided into two streams: management practices and a stream with a more strategic focus. Both streams include the special course Direct, Plan, and Improve . The management stream also includes the special courses Create, Deliver, and Support ; Drive Customer Value ; and High Velocity IT . A successful graduate of all courses mentioned can advertise as an ITIL Management Professional (ITIL MP).

Cross-Upgrade from ITIL 3

The strategic branch comprises the Direct, Plan, and Improve and Digital and IT Strategy modules. After successfully completing both, a graduate can refer to themselves as an ITIL Strategic Leader (ITIL SL). For ITIL 3 graduates who want to cross-upgrade, ITIL 3 certificate holders who have earned at least 17 credits in ITIL 3 training courses can enter the special ITIL Managing Professional stream of four modules to transition to the ITIL 4 certification path. The transition course will be available for about one year. However, because of the large amount of new content, ITIL 3 graduates are also advised to attend the ITIL 4 basic training course.

Conclusions

The ITIL 4 management framework has taken the urgently needed leap into the cloud and DevOps future, enabling companies to continue to use their ITIL know-how and adapt it to their changing infrastructures.